Victory
by snipp.snapp.snute
Summary: Her name was called, and in the silence that followed, Aurelia understood that she would die in the arena. But here she was walking out of it... CatoxOC
1. A Moment You Never Forget

Chapter One – A Moment You Never Forget

_"And this moment here…this is a moment that you never forget. The moment when the tribute becomes a victor."_ – Caesar Flickerman

* * *

The suddenness of the cannon blast startled her.

Perhaps it shouldn't have. Marcus had eliminated the only real threats early on, turning this year's Games into a slow march towards his inevitable victory. One by one, the remaining tributes had stumbled onto his path and been dispatched so quickly and easily, it was as if ending their lives was no effort at all.

Aurelia knew better. She'd seen him lie awake at night, unable to sleep despite the exhaustion he must surely have felt, and she'd watched his eyes grow emptier by the day. Killing the other tributes may not have taken a physical toll on her fellow District 2 native, but it had not been effortless for him.

And now it was just the two of them.

Perhaps the true reason the cannon's blast felt so sudden was that with it came the realization that the next time that sound rang out across the arena, it would signify her own death. And even though Aurelia had known from the moment her name had been called as tribute and nothing but silence followed that she had no chance of walking out of the arena alive, everything about this moment felt too soon.

"It's all right…" the sixteen-year-old whispered, offering her companion the faintest trace of a smile as he turned to face her. "It had to come to this eventually, and nobody ever really believed I could…"

"Aurelia," Marcus interjected, stepping towards her, his grip on his sword tenser than she'd ever seen it.

"You've done more for me than anyone else would've," she breathed, willing herself not to cry, "and I know you'll be quick about it…I'm ready."

Marcus was directly in front of her now, his free hand rising to brush her cheek. "Aurelia," he spoke softly, tilting the younger girl's head so that her eyes met his, "you are the bravest, kindest person I've ever known and you don't deserve to die like this…"

Her stomach lurched unpleasantly. It was true she'd never done anything to warrant being slaughtered for entertainment, but then who had? And why choose this moment to point it out?

"I told you I'd protect you," the eighteen-year-old declared, his voice louder and stronger than before, "I'm not going to kill you."

And before she'd even had time to process what he'd said, Marcus had stepped back and plunged his sword into his stomach.

"NO!" Aurelia screamed, rushing towards the older boy as he crumpled to his knees before her. "No Marcus…why would you…" The tears she'd struggled to suppress earlier came rushing out now, even as Marcus attempted to smile at her, the end result more a grimace than a grin due to the pain evident in his eyes.

"I don't understand…" Aurelia sobbed, wrapping her arms around the blonde so that she could help him lie back.

"Shh…" Marcus whispered, his hand resting against the brunette's cheek once more. "I don't want you to cry for me Aurelia…"

"Then you shouldn't have…" she started, only to have her sobs deteriorate into a fit of hiccups.

"I knew the minute my name was called," Marcus told her gently, withdrawing his hand from her cheek and entwining it with hers instead, "that I couldn't let you die here. You're so good, Aurelia…you don't deserve any of this…"

"Neither do you…" she hiccuped.

"I've killed children two-thirds my age and half my size," the older boy muttered, frowning in disgust. "You deserve to walk out of this arena because you never hurt anyone in it..."

"Marcus…" Aurelia gasped, frowning in sorrow at his admission. "You aren't…"

"You're the kind of victor we need, Aurelia," he cut her off. "Just promise me one thing?"

"Anything…" she breathed.

Marcus started to sit up to whisper in her ear, but Aurelia placed a hand on his chest to stop him, leaning in closer so that he could whisper to her without straining himself further.

"My brother…" he whispered, his breath tickling her ear and the stubble of his beard scratchy against her skin. "Tell him that I love him and I'm sorry to leave him alone…"

"He won't be…" Aurelia mumbled, bringing the faintest trace of a true smile to Marcus' lips.

"And tell him that he's better than this…" the older boy finished.

For the second time that morning, Aurelia was startled by the all-too-soon blast from the arena cannon.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the winner of the 72nd annual Hunger Games!"

She felt like screaming.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thanks for reading! If you have a moment, I would certainly appreciate feedback in the way of a review. Future chapters are likely to be quite a bit longer, but this seemed a natural stopping point for this one.


	2. Into the Fire

Chapter Two – Into the Fire

* * *

"You need to eat something, Aurelia," Enobaria muttered, trying to keep all traces of frustration out of her tone. "It's going to be a long day."

It wasn't that Enobaria disliked the younger girl…or at least she didn't dislike her more than she disliked anyone else… The real problem with the situation was that despite coming from the same district and despite having both survived the Hunger Games, Enobaria and Aurelia had absolutely no way of relating to one another.

It would've been easier if Marcus had been the one to live. Like most of the tributes to come out of District 2, he'd trained nearly his entire life in preparation for the Games and been selected to volunteer because he showed the most potential to win. After the Reaping, none of the other tributes had looked like possible victors when standing next to him, and Enobaria was certain that no one in Panem had seriously believed anyone else would walk out of the arena.

But then he'd gone and sacrificed himself, leaving her to deal with a victor who took no pride in winning and wasn't even close to strong enough to deal with the cost of surviving the Hunger Games.

Then again, maybe Marcus wouldn't have been all that much better. Enobaria couldn't even begin to imagine what had prompted the eighteen-year-old to kill himself instead of his competition—certainly not love, as was the rumor flying around the Capitol—so she obviously didn't understand him any better than she understood the girl sitting across from her.

Enobaria failed to suppress a sigh of frustration as Aurelia finished surveying the food spread out before the two of them with the same blank stare the brunette had worn ever since she'd stopped screaming, more than an hour after she'd been removed from the arena by a member of the Games' staff. Once again, the stupid girl refused to eat. Well if she was so determined to starve herself, it wasn't going to be Enobaria's problem. Leo could deal with her at the next meal.

* * *

"Are you sure this is the right dress?" Aurelia mumbled, staring dubiously at the scrap of lace hanging in front of her. There didn't appear to be very much of it.

"Of course it's the right dress!" her stylist, Cyrus proclaimed, gaping at the sixteen-year-old as though she'd lost her mind. "And a gift from President Snow himself at that!" the turquoise-haired man shrieked, "I always knew you were a lucky one! Not every victor receives such a special gift!"

A weight seemed to settle in her stomach as Aurelia pondered why the president would choose to give her, of all people, a gift of any kind, let alone a dress like this one. Her discomfort increased as she noticed the sympathetic expression of Cyrus' assistant Cinna.

"No more stalling Aurelia darling!" Cyrus screeched, grabbing the brunette's shoulders and pushing her in the direction of the dress. "You've got no reason to be shy. With a figure like yours, it'll be just spectacular!"

Looking in the mirror proved to be even worse than she'd expected. Everything about the lace dress, from the color—so close to her skin tone that she was sure anyone looking from a distance would think she'd gone without clothing altogether—to the neckline—a deep V plunging nearly to her navel—to the length—fine when standing, but she didn't know how she'd manage to cover herself once she sat down and the dress rode up—made her feel completely exposed.

Cyrus and his team seemed to feel differently. "You look magnificent my dear Aurelia!" Cyrus gushed loudly. "I think Finnick Odair himself will be chasing after you tonight, and we all know he is not usually the one doing the chasing!"

The scarlet-haired Ruby and her green-haired twin Emerald nodded their fervent agreement, while they added finishing touches to her hair and makeup. "Oh you're so lucky Aurelia!" Ruby crooned. "He's so handsome, and he won't be able to keep his eyes off you!"

"And just think, when you and Finnick fall madly in love, you'll forget all about that boy from your district in no time!" Emerald added with a giggle.

The blow of those words was worse than if she'd been punched in the stomach.

"My turn ladies," Cinna commanded softly, stepping forward and placing a hand on the victor's shoulder, while dismissing the twins with a wave. For just a moment, he squeezed Aurelia's shoulder as if to comfort her, bringing a confused frown to the sixteen-year-old's face.

Less than twenty-four hours prior Marcus had given his life for hers, and all she'd heard since was how romantic his death had been and how excited everyone was to hear the full story in her interview with Caesar Flickerman.

Aurelia felt like she couldn't breathe, like at any moment she would suffocate where she stood—a part of her wished for it—and no one, not even Enobaria or Leo, seemed to notice. No one seemed to realize that she would give anything not to have to face Caesar and his questions and the video of Marcus and all those other children dying.

And yet something in Cinna's expression as he squeezed her shoulder said that he understood exactly what she was thinking.

"The pearls," he declared softly, gesturing for Ruby to retrieve them, his eyes never leaving Aurelia's reflection.

"Cinna," Cyrus huffed, frowning, "are you sure you wouldn't prefer something a little more extravagant? She has just won the Games!"

"I think pearls will suit her beautifully," Cinna countered. Leaning forward, he added in a whisper to Aurelia, "He said you were the bravest person he'd ever known…so you stay brave for him, all right?"

The nod she offered in response was so brief she was certain the other three stylists missed it completely, though Cinna's smile assured her he hadn't.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Caesar's voice rang out, "Help me welcome the devastatingly beautiful Aurelia Sinclair of District 2!"

The thunderous applause coming from the audience as Aurelia walked out onto the stage of the TV studio felt as though it would crush her. Though she tried to smile, she was sure it looked more like a grimace, and she couldn't seem to lift her arm to wave at the crowd in greeting.

The fuchsia-colored host lavished her entire arm with light kisses when she reached him before proclaiming, "You my dear are a true vision! That dress is simply magnificent!"

"Thank you," the sixteen-year-old mumbled, this time succeeding in her attempt to smile politely, though only for a moment. Unsure if she should say anything about the president's involvement in her wardrobe, she added, "Cyrus always does have a plan…"

"That he does," Caesar chuckled. "Though I have no doubt you could show up in anything at all and still be the prettiest girl in the room…or nothing at all, for that matter!" he finished with a theatrical wink.

Once again, she couldn't seem to force a smile to her lips.

Caesar moved on so quickly she couldn't tell if he'd even noticed. "Well do sit down now, Aurelia my dear! We have so much to talk about!"

After the pair had settled into the bright white chairs in the center of the stage, Caesar turned his attention to the audience. "Now I know we're all _dying_ to hear from our newest victor, but first, let's watch the highlights from this year's Games!" he roared, a wide grin dominating his features.

A spotlight was aimed directly at Aurelia's face, while the rest of the studio lights dimmed around her, and the video began to play.

The sequence kicked off with the start of the games and the bloodbath at the Cornucopia as usual. Marcus was shown killing three of the other tributes. The fourteen-year-old girl from District 12 froze in fear and died still standing on her platform, while the sixteen-year-old boy from District 6 had been killed during a foolish attempt to steal the sword Marcus had claimed as his own. But the real shock had come at the end of the bloodbath, when all but the four from Districts 1 and 2 had fled the Cornucopia, and the eighteen-year-old blonde had turned that same sword against the seventeen-year-old female tribute from District 1. Ursula had died instantly, and her counterpart Nico had chosen not to challenge Marcus, instead making short work of fleeing into the night to regroup and seek a new alliance. Aurelia had attempted to follow him—though she now saw just how pitiful her effort had been—but Marcus had seized her by the wrist and promised that he had no intention of betraying her and only wanted to protect both of them by turning on the other Careers before they had a chance to turn on him. At the time she'd stayed thinking that running from Marcus wouldn't save her in the end anyway and staying would at least allow her to spend her remaining time with someone from home…

Feeling the tears already starting to form, she wanted to turn away and watch no more of the recap video, but she couldn't bring herself to look away.

The next scene showed a lighter moment between the pair from District 2 as they walked down the street extending north of the Cornucopia in search of running water and exchanged childhood memories. Aurelia had talked about how her grandfather, who'd won the very first Hunger Games and intimidated everyone in their home district, used to tell her stories about princesses and sing her to sleep every night, causing her companion to laugh so hard he started coughing. Marcus had shared the story of the time he and his younger brother had, in the midst of playing pirates when they were supposed to have been sleeping, sought to sneak into the quarry in search of a fortune in buried treasure. While they shushed each other during their escape attempt, Marcus had accidentally pushed Cato down the stairs, and the younger boy had burst into tears, drawing the attention of their half-deaf great aunt and bringing their adventure to an end.

The 72nd arena had taken the form of a city deserted and decaying slowly. The streets were dirty and scattered with trash and broken glass. There was no electricity or running water to be found, and Aurelia was certain that multiple tributes would've died of dehydration if it hadn't been for the steady rain. Worse than the downpours was the near constant darkness. Though she couldn't be positive, Aurelia would have bet anything that as more time passed in the arena, the days became shorter and the nights longer until each day was fewer than four hours in length. The buildings provided shelter of a sort, though Aurelia would never forget watching as out of nowhere the thirteen-year-old girl from District 5 was crushed when a wall collapsed on top of her. Marcus had spared her an agonizingly slow death by snapping her neck, and Aurelia had felt as though in that moment she'd really seen him for the first time…

As the video dragged on, the young victor felt more and more as though someone had ripped her heart from her chest and was squeezing the life from it before her eyes. All of the tributes' deaths were shown of course, but all of the other shots were focused on the time she'd spent with Marcus. And everything led up to that moment she knew she'd never escape when instead of driving his sword through her as he should've, he'd stepped backwards and gutted himself instead.

"Aurelia…you are the bravest, kindest person…" The tears she'd been working so hard to suppress started to fall as his words echoed in the studio.

She could be seen leaning in closer, and though it was clear he was whispering to her, his final request had been quiet enough to avoid being captured by the arena cameras. The realization that this last moment would remain secret stilled the brunette's tears and brought the ghost of a real smile to her lips.

She started screaming and the video faded quickly.

There was a moment of silence before Caesar commenced with his first interview question. "Aurelia, the circumstances of your victory are obviously unusual to say the least, but I think the desire at the forefront of every mind in Panem is to know the exact nature of your relationship with the late Mr. Rathborne," he inquired, his gentle tone bringing Aurelia no comfort as he reiterated the painful truth that Marcus was gone and jumped right into prying for the most personal details he could glean.

"I...we n-never even met before the t-train to the…well here…" she stuttered, prompting Caesar to grab her hand and pat it in what she assumed was meant to be a soothing manner.

"I knew who he was…and I suppose he probably knew me too…" she continued softly, "but we met on the train…and we got to be friends… He _is_ my friend…" The sixteen-year-old's voice became stronger with her final sentence, as she emphasized the continued existence of her friendship with Marcus for herself as much as for anyone else.

"Well of course my dear," Caesar replied somewhat patronizingly, "but what I'm really asking about is your romantic feelings towards one another. Anyone could see…"

"No…" Aurelia interrupted with a frown. "We weren't…I mean…he's older…and…"

"Eighteen isn't so much older than sixteen," Caesar retorted, taking advantage of Aurelia's pause to collect her thoughts, "especially given how dramatically the two of you were brought together and how tragically it ended. All of us watching were rooting for the two of you of course, and we were just devastated!"

"But we weren't…there was a girl…he said goodbye to her before we…" Aurelia tried to explain the lack of romantic relationship between Marcus and herself, already starting to feel overwhelmed by her inability to keep up with Caesar and adequately express her thoughts.

"What's that?" he interjected, sounding positively gleeful. "Aurelia my dear, are you saying you _stole_ his heart? You naughty girl!"

"I didn't…" she whispered, but Caesar had already drawn his conclusions.

"Well I suppose that makes one person who wasn't on the edge of her seat waiting to see a kiss!" Caesar chuckled, drawing boos directed at the mystery girl who dared to stand between Marcus and Aurelia from the audience.

"Of course there's another thing we're all _dying_ to know…" Caesar drawled, his choice of words causing the victor at his side to flinch slightly, "what was it he said to you in the end?"

Aurelia's face became as blank and cold as a stone wall in a second. "That's private…" she grunted, her jaw clenched. "There was only one person he wanted to hear what he had to say…and I_ can't_ just tell you…"

Caesar's patronizing grin returned as she trailed off. "I suppose we'll allow you your secrets for now," he sighed, winking at the audience. "After all, I'm sure you're still processing everything that's happened these past few weeks… But next time you're in this chair, I absolutely expect to hear everything!"

At Aurelia's lack of response, he decided to change directions. "Now Aurelia, we all know that your grandfather had the distinction of being the very first victor of the Hunger Games. The last time you and I spoke, you weren't too confident about making it out of the arena, and you said that you were glad he wasn't here to see your name called in the Reaping because nothing would've made him sadder. Now that you've won, what do you think he'd say if he were here today?"

Memories of her childhood and the man from whom the Career system had originated flashed before her. Her grandfather had loved her so much, but all of the good memories of princess stories and songs were wildly outnumbered by those of him unraveling slowly.

"I was wrong before…" Aurelia stated, putting all her energy into controlling her tone, "when I said that watching my Reaping would've have destroyed him…"

The fuchsia lips were grinning again.

"It would've been painful…but this…seeing me here now is what would've truly destroyed him…" the sixteen-year-old finished, the studio falling silent around her.

For a second she thought she heard someone snort once from somewhere behind her, though she quickly realized it must have been her imagination. It was how her grandfather would've reacted to her statement…and maybe Marcus too…

Caesar fumbled through a few more questions concerning trivial matters like her favorite color and the thing from the Capitol she'd miss most when she returned home. Her lackluster responses seemed to have thrown the master talk show host himself off his game, and Aurelia felt a brief wave of sympathy for giving the man the worst interview of his career.

Said sympathy was not enough to stop her from sprinting off the stage the moment Caesar declared their time was up. She was determined to make it back to her assigned bedroom in the tower before she broke down sobbing. The brunette felt like she'd been teetering on the edge of a cliff all day, and she knew that there was no way she'd hold out much longer.

Distracted and in a rush, Aurelia sprinted right into something very solid and would have ended up sprawled on the floor if the solid something hadn't grabbed onto her arms to help steady her.

"Careful there…" drawled a suave male voice.

Glancing up at the source of the sound, Aurelia was horrified to see the infamous Finnick Odair mere inches in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" the younger girl squeaked, stumbling backwards as she attempted to put space between herself and the other victor. Though she'd seen Finnick in person when he visited District 2 during his Victory Tour and multiple times before this year's Games started, this was the first time she'd seen him up close, and she was not exactly pleased to discover that he was every bit as handsome as all the gossip proclaimed.

Finnick grinned at her like he'd won a prize. "Well that's not very nice Miss Sinclair…and to think I stuck around just so I could meet you…" he informed her charmingly.

Aurelia didn't believe him for a second. His tributes had died in the first week of the Games, and there was no way he would've anticipated Marcus' sacrifice on her behalf.

Finnick's expression turned suddenly grave as he muttered, "From what I hear, there are quite a few people who want to meet you Aurelia…"

"Don't you have some woman twice your age to hang off of instead of bothering my tribute Odair?" a male voice hissed, and Aurelia was relieved to see Leo and Enobaria approaching.

Finnick raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the former victors and observed with a snort, "They really do fall all over themselves for you, don't they?"

Disregarding him and instead turning her attention to the younger half of the pair, Aurelia tried to smile as she mumbled, "How bad was it really?"

Enobaria ignored the question entirely, while Leo smiled softly and said, "I've seen worse…"

"You know I really doubt that…" Finnick disagreed, crossing his arms in front of him. "I know I haven't…"

Leo glared at him, but Aurelia felt a ghost of a smile on her lips for the second time since she'd been dragged away from Marcus' body in the arena. "It doesn't matter…" she whispered, touching Leo's hand gently in the hope of distracting him and diffusing his temper, "I'm just glad that we go home tomorrow…"

It was Enobaria who announced, "Actually, President Snow has _requested_ that you remain in the Capitol a while longer. Lots of people who want to meet you…"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thank you for reading, and an extra thanks to all who reviewed, favorited, and/or followed Chapter 1! If you have some time, I'd love nothing more than a review to let me know how I'm doing. Also, as a warning, the rating of this story will be going up to M with the next chapter.


End file.
